Not Who He Appears to Be
by TotalCSIfan
Summary: Jackie randomly runs into an old friend from high school, someone she thought she knew well but as it turns out Jackie may not know him at all! Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing of CSI

Not Who He Appears to Be

"What a gorgeous day." Jackie commented as she and Nick sat down at an outside patio at a new sandwich shop across the street from the mall.

"Yeah it is." Nick responded.

"These are huge." Jackie said as she unwrapped her sub sandwich.

Nick and Jackie had gone to the mall so Nick could get a new outfit for a high profile trial he had to present evidence at and they decided to turn it into a mini afternoon date while Jackie's parents took the kids to the park and then if the kids got their way, which Jackie assumed they would, they were going for ice cream after.

Jackie had just taken a bite of her sub sandwich when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and was completely in shock at who she saw.

"Michael, hi! How are you and what are you doing here?" She asked with a big smile on her face.

Michael Paulson had been the most handsome guy in Jackie's graduating class in high school, 99.9% of the girls wanted to date him, Jackie included. Most guys like that were egotistical jerks but Michael was one of the nicest guys you would ever meet. He also had dated the same girl all four years of high school and was faithful to her which took Jackie and everyone else out of his dating pool.

"I'm here on a business/vacation trip with my wife. What are you doing here?" He asked her.

"I live here, I moved here when I got married." She answered.

"Small town girl, now living in Sin City, I like it!" He joked.

She laughed.

"Hold on, I'll go get my wife and bring her over and introduce you." He said before he walked away.

He came back moments later with a gorgeous blonde woman who Jackie couldn't but notice was pregnant.

"Lisa, this is Jackie, a friend of mine from high school and Jackie this is my wife Lisa."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Jackie said.

"Likewise." The woman greeted as she stuck out her hand and offered Jackie a genuine smile.

"This is my husband Nick, Nick this is Michael Paulson, a high school friend of mine."

The men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

"Do you guys have any kids? We are expecting our first child and it's a boy, I am so excited." Michael said sounding utterly thrilled.

"Congratulations!" Nick and Jackie both said at the same time.

"And yes we have children." Jackie added.

"Awesome, congratulations! Hon, let's go order, we'll come back and visit while we wait for our food, the line is getting long." Michael said before he and Lisa walked away to get in line.

They came back a few minutes later.

"So what do you Jackie? For a career I mean?"

"I'm a teacher."

"That's great, you always wanted to be a teacher, I bet you are great at it, you always were just so nice, so soft spoken, and very friendly, you were just nice to everyone."

"Thanks, so were you." She said.

"I bet you have to teach the little kids though huh? Otherwise they'd be taller than you." He quipped jokingly.

Jackie laughed.

"I teach first grade, so I'm taller than them." She said.

He laughed.

"What do you do?" She asked him.

"I'm the president of a medical supply company in Charlotte, North Carolina, that's how Lisa and I met, she works in my office."

Lisa smiled.

"What do you do Nick?" Michael asked.

"I'm a criminalist." Nick responded.

Michael's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"You're a what?"

"A criminalist."

"Oh, good, I thought you said you were a criminal and that's not an occupation I'd tell many people about."

Everyone laughed.

"Lisa, I think our food is ready so we better go. Jackie it was wonderful to see you again, and Nick it was nice meeting you."

"It was good to see you, congratulations about the baby, that is so exciting."

"Thank you." Lisa and Michael said in unison before they all said their goodbyes.

As they were about to leave, Lisa, for just a split second lifted her sunglasses to wipe something away from her eye, she did it so fast Jackie thought she imagined what she had just seen at least she hoped she'd imagined it.

Jackie glanced at Nick, the look on Nick's face said it all, she hadn't imagined what she'd just seen at all, both of Lisa's eyes were completely black.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Michael and Lisa walked away and found a table of their own across the patio.

"Did you just see that?" Nick asked Jackie.

"Yeah, I know what it looked like but I don't think Michael would do something like that Nicky."

"Jacks come on, what other explanation could there be, _both_ of her eyes were black."

"I know but you know how easy some people bruise, my mom and me included, we always have bruises all over us, it's a wonder both you and my dad haven't been arrested for domestic violence."

Nick look unconvinced.

"Listen, when I was a little girl, like seven or so my mom was in a softball league." Jackie said.

"I didn't know your mom was in a softball league. Was she any good?"

"No, she went to catch a ball and she missed it and it hit her right in the nose. It broke her nose, blood started gushing from her nose and soon both of her eyes were black. I sat in the stands with my dad, I bawled because of the blood. All I'm saying is that maybe, just maybe there is another explanation for what we just saw. I can't even imagine Michael doing that, he was always so nice. We had a science class together and the teacher would always put the lab stuff on the top shelf and so of course I couldn't reach them and without fail he got them down for me, every day. One day he stayed home from school because he was sick and he actually told his best friend who was also in our class to get my stuff down for me. He dated the same girl throughout high school and they seemed so happy, I wonder why they broke up. I just don't think he'd do that to his wife."

"But honey, what if you are wrong?" Nick asked.

It made Jackie sick to think about that possibility.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Suddenly Nick started nodding his head.

Jackie looked over and saw Lisa get up and walk into the restaurant, probably to go to the bathroom.

After a couple minutes Jackie got up and followed her.

When Jackie entered the bathroom she saw Lisa gently touching her black eyes and grimacing.

"Hi." Jackie said cheerfully as if she'd just randomly walked in.

"Hi." Lisa replied with a smile as she immediately put her sunglasses back on.

Jackie tried to think of a way to broach this subject, but couldn't think of a good way. She fussed with her hair in the mirror, trying to stall for time.

Finally Jackie just decided to go for it.

"Lisa, I couldn't help but notice your eyes, are you ok?"

Lisa looked at her and shook her head yes but Jackie could tell by the look on her face that she was anything but ok.

"Listen, I know we just met but you can talk to me, woman to woman if you'd like."

Lisa put her head down.

"Did Michael do that to you?" Jackie asked gently.

Lisa ever so slightly shook her head yes and Jackie noticed the tears that were now trickling down her face.

"I'm so sorry." Jackie said as she gently wrapped the woman in a warm embrace.

"98% of the time he is a wonderful husband but the other 2% he turns into this man I don't even recognize, any little thing can trigger his rage. I don't want to leave him, especially now with a baby on the way. I want my baby to have his family together."

"But Lisa, think about your baby's safety, if he could do that to you, imagine what he could do to an infant or small child." Jackie told her gently.

Lisa's face then showed pure horror, as if that thought hadn't ever crossed her mind.

"But Jackie, if I did decide to leave him no one will believe me when I tell them what he does to me. A few weeks ago I had a huge bruise on my face, I told my mother that he hit me and my own mother stuck up for him, she insisted that it had to have been an accident because when we are around other people he always shows people the 98% good _never_ the 2% monster."

"Your own mother said it had to be an accident?" Jackie asked in complete horror.

Jackie knew without a doubt that if she ever told her family that Nick ever so much as laid a finger on her in anger Nick would have multiple bullets in him, the only question would be who in her family would kill him.

"Yeah she insisted that it had to be an accident, but it wasn't Jackie, he punched me right in the face. If my own mother won't believe me who will?"

"I believe you, and so will my husband. Nick is in law enforcement, he will help you, or if you would feel more comfortable discussing it with a woman, my husband's female coworkers are wonderful, they are some of my closest friends, they will help you."

"I'll think about it." Lisa said.

"Let me give you my cell phone number, and Nick's, if you need anything please don't hesitate to call us." Jackie said as she dug a pen and small notepad out of her purse and scribbled down both of their cell phone numbers.

"Thank you Jackie."

"You're welcome." Jackie said as she again wrapped her arms around her.

"There's one more thing you should know." Lisa said.

"What's that?" Jackie asked.

"I don't know how well you knew Michael in high school but he dated this one girl named Katie all throughout high school. After high school they got engaged, she died in a boating accident just a few weeks before the wedding. He said that they were trying to see some fish and she accidently fell in and she wasn't wearing a life jacket, he claims he tried to jump in to save her but he couldn't get to her in time and she drowned, her body was found in the lake a few hours later. He told me what happened to Katie when we first started dating and at first I felt so sorry for him because he was so sweet, but now, Jackie I don't think her death was an accident, I think he killed her."

Jackie's blood ran cold.


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you think really happened?" Jackie asked.

"I'm not sure how he killed her, or why, and I have no proof, but I know how he gets with me when he gets angry and I could see him just going ballistic and killing her."

"Lisa please let me and Nick help you. If you don't want to do it for yourself do it for your baby."

"Alright, I will." She agreed.

Jackie was so happy to hear her say that.

The next morning Lisa went down to the crime lab and met with Nick after telling Michael she was going to go to the hotel spa.

She relayed everything to him that she had to Jackie the day before.

That night Nick gathered with his entire team, and Jackie. Jackie insisted she be there to help, and everyone agreed that she might be able to help since she'd known Michael for so long.

"I'll wear a wire, maybe I can get him to confess." Jackie volunteered.

"Like hell you'll wear a wire." Nick objected immediately.

"Nicky I want to help Lisa." She argued.

"I do too, and I will, I promise, but I'm sure as hell not using you as bait to do it. We have strong suspicion that this guy killed his fiancé, a woman that you said yourself he dated for many years, a woman he loved enough to propose to. He loved her and he very well might have killed her. You were just his friend in high school, you mean nothing to him. Imagine what he could do to you."

"Gee thanks for implying that I mean nothing dear." Jackie told him sarcastically.

"Come on Jacks, you know I didn't mean that in a rude way. You mean nothing to this guy, but to me and our children you mean everything, which is why I'm not letting you anywhere near him."

"You know, I don't think it's a good idea for Jackie to wear a wire either, but maybe Lisa could wear a wire, maybe she could get him to confess." Brass said.

"That's not a bad idea Jim." Nick said.

They called Lisa and asked if she could come back to the lab. They discussed that plan with her.

After they all promised her she would be safe she agreed to do it


	5. Chapter 5

The following night in their hotel room Lisa had been wired up. Several members of law enforcement stood outside the door, ready to burst through the door if she became in danger.

"You know, driving by that lake today was beautiful but it made me think of Katie." Lisa said somewhat nervously, she didn't want to broach this subject but she knew she had to.

"Yeah."

"Tell me what happened that day again?"

"I've told you what happened before. We were leaning over the side of the boat, she wasn't wearing a life jacket and she fell in, I couldn't get to her in time."

A few seconds of silence past.

"Hey, what do you say I go down to the Chinese restaurant in the hotel and get us dinner?" Michael asked.

"Sure, I'd like that." She replied.

He smiled, stood up, and grabbed his room key. After he was sure that he was gone Lisa stepped out into the hallway.

She found Jim Brass on a bench a couple doors down reading the paper, trying to not look suspicious at all.

"It didn't work, I'm sorry." She told him.

"It's alright, you did good, maybe try to upset him, think of something that will set him off." He suggested.

She looked frightened at the thought.

"It's alright, we are all right here in the hallway, the second you say the code word we are in that room. You remember the code word right?"

"Cheetah." She replied.

Brass nodded.

"Good." He told her.

She agreed to try again.

She went back into the room to try to think of what to do.

She saw Michael's phone sitting on the bathroom counter and got an idea. Michael came back with dinner a few minutes later.

"Hey I got you your favorite. Orange chicken and an egg roll." He told her.

"Thank you." She said with a smile.

They sat down at the small table in the room so they could eat. As they began eating their meal Lisa felt a surge of sadness wash through her. She knew this moment might be the very last time she and Michael acted like a happily married couple.

She fought hard to hold back her tears at that revelation.

"Michael?"

"Hmm?"

"When you were gone, I accidently knocked your phone into the toilet." (She hadn't really)

"You what?"

"I accidently knocked your phone into the toilet."

She immediately saw the rage in his eyes, the switch had been flipped.

"That was a three-hundred-dollar phone." He growled.

"I know, I'm sorry, it was just sitting on the bathroom counter and as I was finishing washing my hands I accidently knocked it in the toilet."

He got up and walked angrily over towards her.

She got up instinctively to protect herself but he was fast and soon he had her backed into a corner of the room. He grabbed her around the throat.

"You stupid bitch, I should do to you what I did to Katie."

"What do you mean, what did you do to Katie?" She asked barely above a whisper.

"Katie didn't fall in the water while we were looking at fish. We were out on the boat and I had asked her to clean my four-hundred dollar sunglasses. The boat hit a wave and my glasses flew into the water. She had the nerve to actually apologize like that was going to make one bit of difference. After her lame apology I grabbed her around the throat and squeezed, until she couldn't breathe, when she was dead I threw her body over the side and then jumped in myself. I never did find my damn glasses."

"Cheetah." Lisa yelled as loud as she could.

Within mere seconds the police swarmed the room.

"Put your hands in the air." Brass demanded.

Nick raced over to Lisa and pulled her to the side away from Michael.

"It's over, it's ok, you're safe now." He told her soothingly.

She nodded at him.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

She couldn't speak so again she just nodded yes.

"Good, but I need you to breathe for me, I don't want you to hyperventilate. He can't hurt you anymore."

She took some deep breaths and composed herself somewhat.

"Are you ok?" Nick asked, compassion filling his voice.

She nodded her head at him and then threw her arms around him.

This man who she didn't even know was showing her more kindness then her own husband ever had.

Nick looked into her eyes and saw all sorts of emotions but none of them were joy or happiness.

It broke his heart, he thought of Jackie and how much he loved her, how if anyone ever hurt her he'd hunt them down, he couldn't imagine ever hurting her intentionally himself, especially while she was pregnant.

Later that night Nick and Jackie lay in bed together, staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm worried about Lisa, did she say what her plans were or anything?" Jackie asked Nick.

"She said that she was planning on moving to Maine so she could be in the same town as her brother. She said that her and her brother had always been close and that he and his wife would help her with the baby after he was born. She understandably doesn't want anything to do with her mother after she didn't believe her about Michael and I completely understand that. What I don't understand is how a mother wouldn't believe her own daughter about something like that."

"I don't understand it either Nicky because believe me if one of my girls came to me and said that their husband was doing that to them I would kill him so fast they wouldn't have time to blink."

"You wouldn't need to kill him because I would." Nick told her.

The mere thought of someone doing that to one of his precious little girls made his blood boil.

"I told Lisa that if she needed anything she could always call us, even if it was just to get mother related advice from you after the baby came." Nick told Jackie.

"Good, I'm glad, she sounds like she could really use a friend."

Nick nodded in agreement.

They were silent for a minute.

"Are you ok?" Nick asked, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well it sounds like you had quite the crush on that dirt bag back in high school, this had to be quite a shock for you."

"You're right, I'm in total shock. There are some guys that you wouldn't be surprised if they turned out to be abusers but I would have never, not in a million years thought Michael would be one of them. He just was so nice all the time."

"Most abusers are nice Jacks, they couldn't get women to fall for their fake charm if they were jerks to everyone."

"That's true."

"With my job I've learned that the vast majority of the time criminals are not scary looking monsters, they are normal looking, seemingly very nice people."

Jackie shuddered at that thought.

"The good news is that Michael will never be able to hurt another woman. With the confession he made to Lisa about what he did to Katie he won't be seeing the outside of a jailcell for a very long time, if ever."

"That's good." Jackie said.

Nick nodded his head in agreement and then he wrapped his arm around her.

She gently laid her head on his shoulder.

Soon Nick was sleeping soundly next to her.

Jackie couldn't sleep, instead she thought back to high school and how badly she had wanted to date Michael Paulson, how lucky she had thought Katie had been back then. As Jackie looked at Nick sleeping next to her, she realized that sometimes the best gifts really are unanswered prayers.

Without thinking about it she leaned over and kissed Nick's cheek.

He woke up with a start.

"I'll go." He said immediately.

"Go where?" She asked.

"Get the baby."

"No hon, Nora is asleep, I'm sorry I woke you."

"It's alright." He assured her with a smile as he wrapped his arm a little more snuggly around her.

"Thank you Nicky." She told him quietly in his ear.

"For what?" He asked.

"For treating me the way you do, you truly couldn't be any better of a husband, and I love you so much for it." She told him as she leaned over and kissed his cheek again.

He smiled at her and gave her a kiss on her mouth.

"I couldn't be mean to you, I'm way too afraid of your family." He told her with a playful smile.

She laughed.

"You should be afraid of them." She replied.

He laughed.

Her voice and expression turned serious once again.

"I love you Nick." She said.

"I love you too Jacks." He answered.

He gave her one last kiss and then went back to sleep and this time Jackie also fell asleep, happily wrapped in his arms.


End file.
